Packaging machines forming packages from a web are well known in the art. Representative examples of this art are the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,544,340, Dec. 1, 1970, R. E. Miller et al., and 3,988,970, Nov. 2, 1976, Hanson et al. Such machines also are commercially available as for example the form-fill-seal packaging systems manufactured by Sigma Systems, Inc., 231 Westhampton Place, Capitol Heights, Md. 20027, which form from plastic web various packages for sealing in products such as hardware, candy, peanuts, etc., which may be counted out to assure each package has a known number of pieces.
At the heart of these machines is the mechanism for processing the packages by sealing the products in the packages during formation from the web and cutting the web to form individual or sets of packages. The operation and controls of such package forming and web processing mechanisms is critical to the automatic packaging machinery concept. Thus, the ideal mechanisms of this type need be foolproof, reliable over many cycles of operation, compatible in size and shape for mounting in a system, controllable to make packages of various size and characteristics, simple in construction, low in cost, and operable with little power. Also they should be adaptable for simplified controls in an automated system to vary package parameters.
Typical of web cutting machines are U.S. Pat. Nos. Re. 17079, Sept. 11, 1928. J. Hahn, 1,667,184, Apr. 24, 1928, M. H. Ballard and 4,054,075, Oct. 18, 1977, J. Doorak. However, these and other prior art machines do not provide the reliability, speed, flexibility and comprehensiveness of operation in an automated packaging system that need be adaptable for various packaging conditions, nor are they simple and low in cost.